2018年全球大事預(yù)測(cè)

Will Theresa May remain prime minister in 2018?

2018年特里薩•梅(Theresa May)會(huì)繼續(xù)擔(dān)任英國(guó)首相嗎?

Yes. Mrs May lost most of her authority with the bungled snap election. But the past few months have been kinder. Sealing a Brexit divorce deal has ensured short-term job security. So until Brexit is formally complete in 2019, or an appealing alternative emerges, the Conservative party will keep her where she is. Remainers and Leavers alike wish to avoid a civil war that would be sparked by moving against her. What was thought to be an unsustainable position is proving surprisingly sustainable.

會(huì)。梅因?yàn)槭愕奶崆斑x舉而失去了大部分權(quán)威。但過(guò)去幾個(gè)月情況對(duì)她較為有利。敲定退歐離婚協(xié)議，確保了她的飯碗短期無(wú)憂(yōu)。因此直到2019年英國(guó)退歐正式完成(或者另一種更吸引人的替代方案出現(xiàn))前，保守黨將讓她繼續(xù)坐在首相位置上。留歐派和退歐派都希望避免因反對(duì)她而引發(fā)內(nèi)戰(zhàn)。事實(shí)將證明，曾經(jīng)被人們認(rèn)為是坐不長(zhǎng)的位置，意外地能夠坐久。

Sebastian Payne

塞巴斯蒂安•佩恩(Sebastian Payne)

Will the UK economy be the slowest-growing in the G7?

英國(guó)會(huì)是七國(guó)集團(tuán)(G7)中經(jīng)濟(jì)增長(zhǎng)最慢的國(guó)家嗎?

No. This is possible, of course, but with luck, Mrs May has at least now ensured that the UK is not going to tumble over a “no deal” cliff in 2019. In December 2017, Consensus Forecasts’ prediction for the UK was of 1.5 per cent growth in 2018. Its forecasts for Japan and Italy were even lower, at 1.3 per cent. So the chances that the UK will have the slowest-growing economy in the G7 next year should be around one in four.

不會(huì)。當(dāng)然，這種情況可能發(fā)生，但是只要運(yùn)氣不是太差，梅眼下至少可以確保英國(guó)經(jīng)濟(jì)不會(huì)在2019年因掉落“無(wú)協(xié)議”懸崖而急劇下滑。2017年12月，“共識(shí)預(yù)測(cè)”(Consensus Forecasts)預(yù)測(cè)2018年英國(guó)將增長(zhǎng)1.5%。該機(jī)構(gòu)對(duì)日本和意大利的預(yù)測(cè)值更低，為1.3%。因此英國(guó)明年成為G7中經(jīng)濟(jì)增長(zhǎng)最慢國(guó)家的幾率應(yīng)該在四分之一左右。

Martin Wolf

馬丁•沃爾夫(Martin Wolf)

Will Emmanuel Macron secure a commitment from German chancellor Angela Merkel on a eurozone budget?

埃馬紐埃爾•馬克龍(Emmanuel Macron)會(huì)得到德國(guó)總理安格拉•默克爾(Angela Merkel)對(duì)歐元區(qū)預(yù)算的承諾嗎?

No. Ms Merkel may accept a small eurozone investment fund, but it will fall short of the French president’s ambitions. Mr Macron wants a “road map” to a budget equivalent to several percentage points of eurozone output, supervised by a finance minister, all to absorb economic shocks. Ms Merkel is inclined to acquiesce, but she has emerged politically weakened from federal elections and will be unable to impose such a decision on her largely sceptical public.

不會(huì)。默克爾可能會(huì)接受一支規(guī)模較小的歐元區(qū)投資基金，但這滿(mǎn)足不了這位法國(guó)總統(tǒng)的雄心。馬克龍想要的是“路線(xiàn)圖”，指明如何實(shí)現(xiàn)一份相當(dāng)于歐元區(qū)經(jīng)濟(jì)產(chǎn)出一定百分點(diǎn)的預(yù)算，由一名財(cái)政部長(zhǎng)監(jiān)督，完全用于緩沖經(jīng)濟(jì)震蕩。默克爾想要答應(yīng)，但她在聯(lián)邦選舉后政治地位受到削弱，因此無(wú)法勉強(qiáng)基本上持懷疑態(tài)度的德國(guó)民眾接受這樣一個(gè)決定。

Anne-Sylvaine Chassany

安妮-西爾萬(wàn)•沙薩尼(Anne-Sylvaine Chassany)

Will the Democrats take back the majority in the midterm election in the US House of Representatives?

民主黨能在中期選舉中重新奪回美國(guó)眾議院多數(shù)黨地位嗎?

Yes — by an eyelash. Democrats will need to win an additional 24 seats, meaning they will have to hold on to all 12 Democratic districts that Mr Trump won last year and pick up the 23 Republican districts that voted for Hillary Clinton, plus one or two more for good measure. The math is not on the Democrats’ side, but history is. The president’s party almost always loses some House seats in the midterms, and sometimes loses big, especially when the president has an approval rating below 50 per cent. See Barack Obama in 2010.

勉強(qiáng)能。民主黨需要再贏得24個(gè)席位，這意味著他們需要守住特朗普去年勝選的全部12個(gè)民主黨選區(qū)，并拿下23個(gè)在大選中投票支持希拉里•克林頓(Hillary Clinton)的共和黨選區(qū)，另外再添上一兩個(gè)選區(qū)。算起來(lái)形勢(shì)對(duì)民主黨不利，但從歷史先例來(lái)看形勢(shì)有利于民主黨。歷任總統(tǒng)所在的政黨幾乎總會(huì)在中期選舉時(shí)丟掉一些眾議院席位，有時(shí)丟得還挺多，特別是當(dāng)在位總統(tǒng)的支持率低于50%的時(shí)候?？匆豢?010年的巴拉克•奧巴馬(Barack Obama)就知道了。

Courtney Weaver

柯特妮•韋弗(Courtney Weaver)

Will impeachment proceedings begin against Donald Trump?

唐納德•特朗普(Donald Trump)會(huì)遭遇彈劾程序嗎?

Yes — just. Democrats will regain control of the House of Representatives in the November midterm elections. Though they will not take charge until January 2019, they will waste no time preparing the House Judiciary paperwork. Mr Trump will label it a “witch hunt”. But another year of his surreal presidency makes it all but inevitable Democrats will campaign on a pledge to hold him to account. Whatever Robert Mueller’s investigation unearths before then is unlikely to turn enough Republicans against him.

勉強(qiáng)會(huì)。民主黨將在11月中期選舉中重新贏得對(duì)眾議院的控制權(quán)。盡管他們要到2019年1月才能掌控眾議院，但他們將馬上開(kāi)始為眾議院司法委員會(huì)(House Judiciary)啟動(dòng)彈劾做文書(shū)方面的準(zhǔn)備。特朗普將稱(chēng)此舉為“政治迫害”。但在特朗普怪誕的總統(tǒng)任期又持續(xù)了一年之后，民主黨將幾乎不可避免地展開(kāi)造勢(shì)活動(dòng)，誓要讓特朗普承擔(dān)責(zé)任。在此之前，無(wú)論羅伯特•米勒(Robert Mueller)的調(diào)查發(fā)現(xiàn)了什么，都不可能讓足夠多的共和黨人倒戈反對(duì)特朗普。

Edward Luce

愛(ài)德華•盧斯(Edward Luce)

Will Trump trigger a trade war with China?

特朗普會(huì)發(fā)動(dòng)美中貿(mào)易戰(zhàn)嗎?

Yes. In 2018 President Trump will deliver on some of his protectionist campaign rhetoric by taking punitive actions against China. The most likely triggers for action will be official reports that the Trump administration has commissioned into China’s alleged theft of intellectual property, and its subsidised production of steel and aluminium. The president, spurred on by his trade team, is likely to order retaliatory measures, including tariffs. Whether that marks the first shot in a trade war will depend on how China reacts. A Chinese decision to impose retaliatory tariffs, or to take America to the World Trade Organization, will signal the opening of hostilities.

會(huì)。2018年，美國(guó)總統(tǒng)特朗普將通過(guò)對(duì)中國(guó)采取懲罰性行動(dòng)，來(lái)兌現(xiàn)他在競(jìng)選時(shí)許下的部分保護(hù)主義諾言。最可能的觸發(fā)因素將是特朗普政府委托的、對(duì)中國(guó)涉嫌竊取知識(shí)產(chǎn)權(quán)的官方調(diào)查報(bào)告，以及中國(guó)補(bǔ)貼鋼鐵和鋁生產(chǎn)的行為。在其貿(mào)易團(tuán)隊(duì)的敦促下，特朗普可能會(huì)下令采取報(bào)復(fù)性措施，其中包括征收懲罰性關(guān)稅。此舉是否會(huì)標(biāo)志著貿(mào)易戰(zhàn)打響第一槍?zhuān)瑢⑷Q于中國(guó)如何反應(yīng)。如果中國(guó)決定征收?qǐng)?bào)復(fù)性關(guān)稅，或者把美國(guó)告上世貿(mào)組織(WTO)，將標(biāo)志著敵對(duì)狀態(tài)的開(kāi)始。

Gideon Rachman

吉迪恩•拉赫曼(Gideon Rachman)

Will China’s reported gross domestic product growth surpass 6.5 per cent?

中國(guó)官方國(guó)內(nèi)生產(chǎn)總值(GDP)增速會(huì)超過(guò)6.5%嗎?

Yes, even if real GDP growth does not. Speculation over the true GDP growth rate in China, as opposed to the official one, has spawned a cottage industry of specialist economists. The official figures are deceptively stable and serene thanks to suspected “smoothing” by the Chinese authorities, as they bend the figures to fit growth targets. So even if growth does stumble in 2018, the official growth rate is almost certain to come in above the preordained 6.5 per cent.

會(huì)，即便真實(shí)的GDP增速未超過(guò)這個(gè)數(shù)字。關(guān)于中國(guó)真正的(相對(duì)官方數(shù)據(jù)而言)GDP增長(zhǎng)率的猜測(cè)，已經(jīng)衍生出一個(gè)由相關(guān)經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)專(zhuān)家組成的作坊式行業(yè)。官方數(shù)據(jù)看似穩(wěn)定而美好——有人懷疑中國(guó)有關(guān)部門(mén)對(duì)數(shù)據(jù)進(jìn)行了“美化”，調(diào)整了一些數(shù)字、使其符合增長(zhǎng)目標(biāo)。因此，即使2018年中國(guó)的增長(zhǎng)磕磕絆絆，官方的增速也幾乎肯定會(huì)高于預(yù)定的6.5%。

Jamil Anderlini

吉密歐(Jamil Anderlini)

Will the BoJ tighten monetary policy?

日本央行會(huì)收緊貨幣政策嗎?

No. The Bank of Japan’s life will get tougher in 2018 as the US Federal Reserve tightens policy and widens the interest rate gap with Japan. But governor Haruhiko Kuroda is determined to hike rates in response to one thing only: inflation. The BoJ may let the yield curve climb a little if prices start to accelerate, but real interest rates in Japan will end 2018 no higher than at the start of the year.

不會(huì)。隨著美聯(lián)儲(chǔ)收緊貨幣政策并擴(kuò)大美國(guó)與日本的利率差，2018年日本央行的日子會(huì)更不好過(guò)。但是日本央行行長(zhǎng)黑田東彥(Haruhiko Kuroda)已決心只會(huì)因一件事而上調(diào)利率，那就是通脹。如果通脹開(kāi)始加速，日本央行可能會(huì)讓收益率曲線(xiàn)略微上揚(yáng)，但到2018年年底時(shí)日本實(shí)際利率不會(huì)高于年初時(shí)的水平。

Robin Harding

羅賓•哈丁(Robin Harding)

Will emerging market GDP growth pass 5 per cent?

新興市場(chǎng)GDP增速會(huì)超過(guò)5%嗎?

Yes. With the US Federal Reserve likely to raise interest rates a few times in 2018, trading is likely to be choppy in emerging markets. Sometimes it may feel a bit like a rerun of the 2013 “taper tantrum”. However, average GDP growth will rise to 5 per cent, up from a forecast 4.7 per cent this year. This will mostly be because Russia and Brazil, which have stumbled, will bounce back.

會(huì)。在2018年美聯(lián)儲(chǔ)可能多次加息的情況下，新興市場(chǎng)中的交易可能會(huì)波動(dòng)起伏。有時(shí)可能感覺(jué)有點(diǎn)像2013年“削減恐慌”(taper tantrum)重演。然而，平均GDP增速將升至5%，高于去年4.7%的預(yù)測(cè)值。這主要是因?yàn)榻鼇?lái)處境艱難的俄羅斯和巴西境況將好轉(zhuǎn)。

James Kynge

金奇(James Kynge)

Will Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi try any more unorthodox economic experiments?

印度總理納倫德拉•莫迪(Narendra Modi)會(huì)嘗試更多非正統(tǒng)的經(jīng)濟(jì)試驗(yàn)嗎?

Yes. Mr Modi’s overnight ban on using high-value bank notes was a big shock, and seriously disrupted the economy. But it delivered rich political rewards, bolstering the premier’s image as a decisive leader willing to take tough action against corruption. With the next general elections due in 2019, Mr Modi will be tempted to deliver one more big bang to dazzle voters. Watch out for dramatic action against wealthy individuals holding properties in others’ names to hide their ownership.

會(huì)。莫迪一夜之間廢除大面額紙幣的做法令人震驚，嚴(yán)重?cái)_亂了印度經(jīng)濟(jì)。但此舉帶來(lái)了豐厚的政治回報(bào)，支撐了莫迪作為愿意采取嚴(yán)厲措施打擊腐敗的果決領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人的形象。面臨2019年的下一屆大選，莫迪很有可能想拿出另一項(xiàng)轟動(dòng)性措施來(lái)博取選民的支持。當(dāng)心，他可能會(huì)對(duì)那些為了隱藏資產(chǎn)而以他人名義持有房產(chǎn)的富人采取重大行動(dòng)。

Amy Kazmin

艾米•卡茲明(Amy Kazmin)

Will the Saudi Aramco public offering debut on an international market?

沙特阿美(Saudi Aramco)會(huì)在外國(guó)公開(kāi)上市嗎?

No. What has been billed as the largest ever IPO is a cornerstone of de facto leader Mohammed bin Salman’s grand economic restructuring, so it must happen. Shares in Aramco will be quoted on the local stock exchange. The international element of the IPO is unlikely to be a public listing, however. Donald Trump has lobbied for New York, and London is pulling all the stops. Hong Kong and Tokyo are also under consideration. But the Saudis will opt instead for a private sale, or choose to list internationally later than anticipated.

不會(huì)。這筆被譽(yù)為史上最大規(guī)模的首次公開(kāi)發(fā)行(IPO)，是沙特實(shí)際領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人穆罕默德•本•薩勒曼(Mohammed bin Salman)宏大經(jīng)濟(jì)重組計(jì)劃的基石，因此沙特阿美IPO肯定會(huì)成行。該公司的股票將在沙特本國(guó)的證交所上市。不過(guò)，此次IPO計(jì)劃在國(guó)外的部分不太可能是一次公開(kāi)發(fā)行。唐納德•特朗普正在為紐約游說(shuō)，倫敦也在全力以赴爭(zhēng)取。香港和東京也在沙特的考慮之中。但沙特會(huì)轉(zhuǎn)而選擇非公開(kāi)售股，或者在晚于預(yù)期的時(shí)間在國(guó)外上市。

Roula Khalaf

魯拉•卡拉夫(Roula Khalaf)

Will José Antonio Meade be the next president of Mexico?

何塞•安東尼奧•梅亞德(José Antonio Meade)會(huì)成為下一任墨西哥總統(tǒng)嗎?

Yes. Mr Meade is the candidate of the ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI. His main rival is the hard leftist Andrés Manuel López Obrador, a passionate orator who can work a crowd. Mr Meade has a lot to overcome: he will have to convince voters that they can trust him, after he put up petrol prices by 20 per cent overnight in January, triggering a surge in inflation. He will also have to reveal himself as his own man, not just a clone of an unpopular government that has failed spectacularly to rein in rampant corruption and crime. But backed by the formidable PRI get-out-the-vote machine, he could prove unstoppable. In Mexico’s one-round-only system, 30 per cent of the vote might be enough.

會(huì)。梅亞德是執(zhí)政黨革命制度黨(PRI)的候選人。他主要的競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手是強(qiáng)硬的左翼領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人安德烈斯•曼努埃爾•洛佩斯•奧夫拉多爾(Andrés Manuel López Obrador)——可以感召人群的激情演說(shuō)家。梅亞德需要克服很多問(wèn)題：在去年1月一夜間把油價(jià)上調(diào)20%、引發(fā)通脹飆升后，他必須說(shuō)服選民自己仍然是可以信任的。他還必須證明自己是個(gè)有主見(jiàn)的人，而不僅僅是這屆不受歡迎的政府的傀儡——在遏制猖獗的腐敗和犯罪行為方面，這屆政府極為失敗。但是憑借強(qiáng)大的PRI拉票機(jī)器，他可能勢(shì)不可擋。在墨西哥只有一輪選舉的體制下，30%的選票可能就足以讓他當(dāng)選總統(tǒng)了。

Jude Webber

裘德•韋伯(Jude Webber)

Will Zimbabwe’s new leader hold — and win — fair elections?

津巴布韋新任領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人會(huì)舉行公平的選舉并勝選嗎?

No. Having ended Robert Mugabe’s 37-year rule — with a little help from the army — Emmerson Mnangagwa has promised free elections in 2018. That raises one problem: he could lose. He must at least pretend elections are fair because he needs donor money to help turn the economy around. That would mean electoral reforms, which risk a loss for his unpopular Zanu-PF. Even if Mr Mnangagwa were prepared to roll the electoral dice, it is not clear the army is. Having got their man in, Zimbabwe’s generals are unlikely to allow the public to kick him out.

不會(huì)。結(jié)束羅伯特•穆加貝(Robert Mugabe)長(zhǎng)達(dá)37年的執(zhí)政(軍方在這件事上也幫了點(diǎn)忙)后，埃默森•姆南加古瓦(Emmerson Mnangagwa)承諾在2018年舉行自由選舉。這引出了一個(gè)問(wèn)題：他可能會(huì)輸?shù)舸筮x。他至少要裝作選舉是公平的，因?yàn)樗枰潍I(xiàn)金來(lái)扭轉(zhuǎn)經(jīng)濟(jì)。這將意味著要推行選舉改革——可能會(huì)讓其不受歡迎的非洲民族聯(lián)盟-愛(ài)國(guó)陣線(xiàn)(Zanu-PF)輸?shù)暨x舉。即使姆南加古瓦準(zhǔn)備好在選舉中賭一把，還不清楚軍方愿不愿意。已經(jīng)把自己的人推上臺(tái)的津巴布韋將軍們，不太可能會(huì)容許公眾再把他踢下去。

David Pilling

戴維•皮林(David Pilling)

Will the AT&T/Time Warner merger go through without big remedies (such as the sale of CNN)?

AT&T和時(shí)代華納(Time Warner)會(huì)在不作出大的妥協(xié)(比如出售美國(guó)有線(xiàn)新聞網(wǎng)(CNN))的情況下完成合并嗎?

Yes. The government hasn’t won a vertical merger case in decades. According to the Department of Justice’s own review guidelines, “vertical mergers” between content owners like Time Warner and distributors like AT&T are much less worrisome than horizontal ones. Meanwhile, the Fang companies — Facebook, Amazon, Netflix and Google — now dominate the digital entertainment landscape, which makes the government’s argument that the merger of two old-media firms would fundamentally alter competition even harder to make.

會(huì)。美國(guó)政府在垂直合并案上已有數(shù)十年沒(méi)贏過(guò)。據(jù)美國(guó)司法部(Department of Justice)自己的審查指導(dǎo)原則，像時(shí)代華納這樣的內(nèi)容所有者與AT&T這樣的分銷(xiāo)商之間的“垂直合并”，遠(yuǎn)不如水平合并那么令人擔(dān)憂(yōu)。與此同時(shí)，F(xiàn)acebook、亞馬遜(Amazon)、Netflix和谷歌(Google)這四巨頭(合稱(chēng)FANG，取每家名稱(chēng)首字母)如今主宰了數(shù)字娛樂(lè)版圖，這使得政府的如下論點(diǎn)更難以站住腳：兩家傳統(tǒng)媒體公司的合并，會(huì)從根本上改變競(jìng)爭(zhēng)態(tài)勢(shì)。

Rana Foroohar

拉娜•福魯哈爾(Rana Foroohar)

Will Tesla produce more than 250,000 Model 3s?

特斯拉(Tesla) Model 3s的產(chǎn)量會(huì)超過(guò)25萬(wàn)輛嗎?

No. The much-hyped US electric carmaker once promised to make 400,000 of its new dream machines in 2018. Its latest production targets imply 200,000-300,000. But serious glitches in battery production have meant a slow start, and Tesla’s record is not good. With Tesla yet to show it can wean itself off constant infusions of Wall Street cash, 2018 cold be a make or break year.

沒(méi)戲。這家受到熱捧的美國(guó)電動(dòng)車(chē)制造商曾經(jīng)承諾在2018年生產(chǎn)40萬(wàn)輛新款Model 3s。該公司最新的產(chǎn)量目標(biāo)暗示20萬(wàn)-30萬(wàn)輛。但是電池生產(chǎn)中出現(xiàn)的嚴(yán)重問(wèn)題意味著一開(kāi)始就慢了，而且特斯拉的記錄不佳。對(duì)尚未證明自己離了華爾街不斷輸入的資金也能活的特斯拉而言，2018年可能會(huì)是不成功便成仁的一年。

Richard Waters

理查德•沃特斯(Richard Waters)

Will the S&P 500 finish the year above 2,650?

今年年底標(biāo)普500(S&P 500)指數(shù)會(huì)在2650點(diǎn)上方嗎?

Yes. There are plenty of positives: earnings, economic growth, and US tax cuts. But they are already known. Stocks look ridiculously expensive by historical standards, but that tells us nothing about short-term moves. Ultimately, it comes down to liquidity, which has driven markets since they emerged from the crisis in 2009. If all goes according to plan, central banks will be decreasing their balance sheets, and removing liquidity, by the end of 2018. If they go through with this, the odds are that the S&P will stall. But even a tiny tremor could make the bankers blink. Expect the momentum to continue.

會(huì)。目前有很多利好因素：利潤(rùn)、經(jīng)濟(jì)增長(zhǎng)和美國(guó)減稅。但這些都是已知因素。按照歷史標(biāo)準(zhǔn)看，眼下股價(jià)高得離譜，但這對(duì)短期走勢(shì)毫無(wú)參考價(jià)值。最終還是要看流動(dòng)性，自從股市在2009年從危機(jī)中走出來(lái)以后，流動(dòng)性始終驅(qū)動(dòng)著股市上漲。如果一切按計(jì)劃進(jìn)行，到2018年底，各國(guó)央行會(huì)在縮表和撤除流動(dòng)性。如果各央行果真這樣做，標(biāo)普500指數(shù)很可能會(huì)牛氣不再。但只要稍有風(fēng)吹草動(dòng)，央行官員們就會(huì)遲疑。這股牛氣應(yīng)該會(huì)繼續(xù)。

John Authers

約翰•奧瑟茲(John Authers)

Will the 10-year Treasury yield finish the year above 3 per cent?

今年年底10年期美國(guó)國(guó)債收益率會(huì)突破3%嗎?

No. Wall Street strategists’ predicting that the US government’s 10-year borrowing costs will climb above the 3 per cent mark in the coming year is as much a staple of the Christmas period as awkward office parties. This year the forecasts look more likely to be fulfilled, given a withdrawal of quantitative easing and the US tax cut. However, the seismic, secular forces pinning down both inflation and long-term bond yields remain in place and are still underestimated. The Federal Reserve will raise interest rates at least three times in 2018, but the 10-year yield will not breach 3 per cent.

不會(huì)。華爾街策略師預(yù)測(cè)美國(guó)政府的10年期借貸成本將在未來(lái)一年攀升至3%以上，這話(huà)就像尷尬的辦公室聚會(huì)一樣是圣誕節(jié)那段時(shí)間的固定節(jié)目。鑒于美聯(lián)儲(chǔ)退出量化寬松和美國(guó)減稅，今年的預(yù)測(cè)看起來(lái)更有可能實(shí)現(xiàn)。然而，壓低通脹和長(zhǎng)期債券收益率的長(zhǎng)期重大因素依然存在，并且仍然被低估。2018年美聯(lián)儲(chǔ)將至少加息三次，但10年期收益率不會(huì)突破3%。

Robin Wigglesworth

羅賓•威格爾斯沃思(Robin Wigglesworth)

Will oil finish 2018 above $70 a barrel?

2018年底石油價(jià)格會(huì)超過(guò)每桶70美元嗎?

Yes. Supply outages and geopolitical risk factors will probably persist, alongside output curbs by global producers. But whether prices can maintain levels at $70 or above is dependent on the willingness of Russia to keep backing a Saudi Arabia-led effort to cut production in the face of growing US shale supply. Other participants in the co-ordinated effort also need to sustain strong compliance with the deal, the incentive of which declines as governments reap the rewards of higher prices.

會(huì)。供應(yīng)中斷和地緣政治風(fēng)險(xiǎn)因素很可能會(huì)持續(xù)出現(xiàn)，同時(shí)伴隨著全球生產(chǎn)商限產(chǎn)。但價(jià)格能否保持在70美元或以上水平取決于：在美國(guó)頁(yè)巖油供應(yīng)不斷增長(zhǎng)的情況下，俄羅斯是否愿意繼續(xù)支持沙特阿拉伯牽頭的限產(chǎn)努力。參與限產(chǎn)的其他國(guó)家也需要繼續(xù)堅(jiān)定地遵守協(xié)議——隨著各國(guó)政府受益于油價(jià)上漲，繼續(xù)遵守協(xié)議的動(dòng)力將越來(lái)越小。

Anjli Raval

安吉利•拉瓦爾(Anjli Raval)

Will a stable and liquid bitcoin futures market develop?

會(huì)建立起穩(wěn)定、流動(dòng)性較強(qiáng)的比特幣期貨市場(chǎng)嗎?

No. One way it could play out: after a tentative start involving lots of trading stops, bitcoin futures will slowly begin to attract institutional money. Commodity Futures Trading Commission positioning data will reflect the extraordinary long bias that exists for the product among money managers. As the huge cost of rolling futures positions becomes self-evident, longs will complain ever more loudly about routine divergences around settlement time. Just as a senate hearing is being scheduled to investigate potential manipulation of the market, futures prices will fall below spot, initiating a sell-off.

不會(huì)。事情可能會(huì)這樣發(fā)展：在一次試運(yùn)營(yíng)(其間出現(xiàn)多次交易停止)后，比特幣期貨將慢慢開(kāi)始吸引機(jī)構(gòu)資金。美國(guó)商品期貨交易委員會(huì)(CFTC)的持倉(cāng)數(shù)據(jù)將反映出資金管理公司對(duì)該產(chǎn)品存在的長(zhǎng)期偏見(jiàn)。隨著減倉(cāng)的巨額成本變得不言自明，多頭將越來(lái)越大聲地抱怨圍繞結(jié)算時(shí)間的例行分歧。就在參議院計(jì)劃舉行聽(tīng)證會(huì)調(diào)查潛在的市場(chǎng)操縱行為時(shí)，比特幣期貨價(jià)格將跌破現(xiàn)貨價(jià)格，引發(fā)拋售。

Izabella Kaminska

伊莎貝拉•卡敏斯卡(Izabella Kaminska)

Will a nation other than Brazil, Germany or Spain win the World Cup?

會(huì)是除巴西、德國(guó)和西班牙之外的國(guó)家捧得大力神杯嗎?

No. Football punditry is a mug’s game. Better to have the benefit of hindsight. There have been 20 previous World Cups. Of those, Brazil (five titles) and Germany (four), are regular contenders. Home advantage helps, with host nations winning the trophy six times. But next year’s festival of football is being held in Russia, which has the lowest-ranked team in the tournament.

不會(huì)。傻子才會(huì)去預(yù)測(cè)足球比賽的結(jié)果。最好是作事后諸葛亮。目前已經(jīng)舉辦過(guò)20屆世界杯。其中，巴西(5次捧杯)和德國(guó)(4次捧杯)是決賽?？?。主場(chǎng)優(yōu)勢(shì)有所幫助，東道國(guó)贏得了6次獎(jiǎng)杯。但是明年的世界杯將在俄羅斯舉行，而這位東道主在參賽隊(duì)伍中排名墊底。

Murad Ahmed

穆拉德•艾哈邁德(Murad Ahmed)

Illustrations by David Broadbent

插圖：戴維•布羅德本特(David Broadbent)